The United States has reached an agreement to assist Russia in increasing its agricultural and fertilizer exports to the global market in exchange for a maritime security arrangement in the Black Sea. This agreement was announced by the White House and the Kremlin following bilateral talks in Saudi Arabia, aimed at finding a path towards peace in Ukraine. The discussions come as part of the ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to end the conflict in Ukraine, which has been ongoing since 2022, with President Donald Trump adopting a new approach by engaging directly with Moscow and accepting certain Russian demands, such as ruling out Ukraine’s potential membership in NATO.
Overview of the Black Sea Deal
The latest agreement entails both Ukraine and Russia stopping the use of force and the military utilization of commercial vessels in the Black Sea. The United States, in return, will facilitate Russia’s access to the global market for agricultural exports and reduce maritime insurance costs, alongside enhancing access to ports and payment systems for these transactions. The Kremlin’s statement elaborated that the cessation of hostilities in the Black Sea will take effect once sanctions are lifted from Russian financial institutions involved in international food trade, including the Rosselkhozbank, with connections to the SWIFT system. The SWIFT, or Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, is an international financial system that enables efficient cross-border fund transfers. Since the beginning of the conflict, the US and its allies have imposed over 21,692 sanctions on Russian individuals, organizations, and institutions across various sectors.
Details and Reactions
The White House and the Kremlin affirmed that they welcome the support of third countries towards implementing the energy and maritime agreements as part of the deal. The talks in Saudi Arabia also covered discussions on the earlier agreement between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to halt attacks on the energy infrastructure of both countries, with the possibility of “measures” being implemented if compliance is not achieved.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated Ukraine’s readiness to expeditiously and transparently work towards ending the conflict, expressing, however, distrust in Moscow’s intentions regarding sanctions and timing related to the energy sector. Zelenskyy emphasized that any renewed military activity could lead to further measures against Moscow. The Ukrainian Defense Minister, Rustem Umerov, indicated the necessity of further negotiations to finalize the specifics of the deal.
Analysis and Future Steps
The deal has been described as a “useful step” towards peace by some, while others view it with skepticism, warning of potential risks of concessions without adequate pressure on Russia. The upcoming talks would involve the United Nations and other countries and signaling a broader international engagement in the conflict resolution process.
Europe has not been directly involved in the Saudi Arabia discussions and the “coalition of the willing” concept proposed by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has yet to be mentioned in these talks. There is an ongoing debate regarding Europe’s role in these negotiations and the potential formation of a coalition to devise terms for peace.
Overall, the agreement represents a complex balance between easing export restrictions for Russia and seeking to limit hostilities in a vital region, with varying perspectives on its potential effectiveness in bringing peace to the area.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/26/russia-ukraine-black-sea-deal-what-is-it-and-will-it-work?traffic_source=rss
